On the linguistic consequences of language contact in Suriname: The case of convergence

Abstract

Suriname is often represented as a stratified mosaic of cultures and languages. The layers correspond to cultures and languages that entered Suriname via multiple migratory movements in different time depths. In this chapter, we challenge this somewhat static view of Suriname’s cultural and linguistic diversity. The linguistic data that we present will show that languages in Suriname do not merely co-exist and that Suriname should not be characterized as a form of stable bilingualism and diglossia, where so-called minority groups maintain their languages for (informal) in-group communication and use the language of the dominant majority contact group for (formal) out-group communication. From the last quarter of the 20th century onwards, changes can be observed in the distribution of languages across functional domains, as some of the languages are being used in more and other domains as before, resulting in what has been described in the literature as leaky or encroaching diglossia. In addition to changes in language use, changes in the linguistic systems of the languages are observed. We focus on a particular outcome of linguistic change, that is the results of convergence. Due to convergence, (partial) similarities increase at the expense of differences between the languages in contact